Ala Moana Bowls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight off the bat: the next couple weeks are shaping up to be pretty bleak for any decent surf. I’ve scoured the charts and honestly, the first solid bit of action isn’t until Tuesday, July 14th, which is over a week away. Before that, we’re looking at a stretch of poor to marginal conditions with nothing worth paddling out for. So, yeah, brace yourself for some quiet days.

Starting Monday, July 6th, through to about Sunday, July 12th, it’s a grind. Swell sits around 6 ft to 7 ft from the ENE, but the wind is a stiff cross-off breeze – 18 to 25 mph – which just chops everything up. The combined swell energy is moderate, peaking at 961 (moderate), but the period is short (mostly 7-8 seconds), so the waves are weak and crumbly. The water temp is a very comfortable 80°F with just a slight anomaly (0.9°F warmer than average), so that’s nice if you want a soup, but the surf is a no-go. Honestly, for a reef setup like Ala Moana Bowls, the wind and the quality are just not playing ball. The waves are too messy and the sets are inconsistent.

Saturday, July 11th and Sunday, July 12th lift a little – the scores creep up to a mere 1, but we’re still talking about marginal quality. The swell drops a touch (6 ft to 7 ft) but the wind stays strong. The combined energy is still moderate (up to 870). The break might be working, but it’s not going to be any fun.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday, July 13th sees a slight easing in the wind (15 mph) and a small bump in the score to 2 in the afternoon. The swell is still 6 ft from the ENE, with a moderate 8-second period, but the cross-off wind is gentler. The combined energy (699-712) stays moderate. Still not a standout, but a slight improvement.

Then, Tuesday, July 14th morning is where we see the first real change. A rain shower clears to a gentle ENE breeze (9 mph) and we get a 2 ft swell from the SW with a very long 14-second period. This is a clean, lined-up groundswell, and the combined energy is still moderate (534). The score hits 3 – that’s the best we’ve seen. The only catch is it’s a small wave, and a long-period swell at a reef like Ala Moana Bowls can be tricky if you’re not in the right spot, but it’ll be clean and glassy with the light wind. This is the window to consider paddling out.

Wednesday, July 15th afternoon offers another small 14-second pulse from the SSW (2 ft) with gentle ENE winds, scoring a 2. It’s clean but tiny. The rest of that week (Thursday, July 16th to Friday, July 17th) reverts to poor conditions with moderate breezes and short-period swell, so not worth it.

Sunday, July 20th afternoon has a tiny pulse of long-period swell again (2 ft from SW, 17 seconds, combined energy 413 – still moderate). Clean, but very small. The period is long, so you might get some sneaky sets at a reef like this, but it’s for the experts only looking for a glassy trim.

Monday, July 21st is the last notable mention: a 2-2 ft groundswell from the east with a very long 17-18 second period. The wind is fresh (18 mph) from the ENE, creating cross-off conditions, but the combined energy is moderate to strong (622-630). The quality score is still only a 1. Big, long lines but the wind might mess with them.

So, to sum it up: the first ten days are basically a write-off – too much wind, short-period junk. The only two moments that anyone should get excited about are Tuesday, July 14th morning and Wednesday, July 15th afternoon. Those offer clean, small, long-period groundswell with gentle winds. They’re not big, but they’ll be the only decent waves in the whole run. If you’re a beginner, the tiny size is fine, but the longer period means you need to respect the rip.

That’s the story for now. Keep the wax warm, because it’s mostly a waiting game.

Rusty.

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